Grumm's Black Mercy
by 100TenMillion
Summary: SPD has lost one of their own, and now, they are losing another one. This is all because an omnicidal maniac with no regard to life has found the cruelest way to kill his old enemies. Can the Power Rangers prevail...after a death in the family?
1. Chapter 1

Grumm's Black Mercy

Prologue:

His name was Jack Landers, and he died this very morning. His body had been mangled from the inside, his lungs crushed and pierced by the force of the Black Mercy roots. His entire rib cage has been pushed off, his chest has been burst open with many black colored flowers blooming from the branches that jutted out of his skin. His heart has been skewered by the roots of the Black Mercy, his blood dripping all over the plant's branches and leaves. His eyes have been pushed out by the branches of the Black Mercy. But the thing that was most unnerving was the smile on his face. He died a horrible, horrible death, and yet there he was, just smiling. What was going through his mind, I don't know. I don't think I wish to know, as whatever happens to the dead is something that is beyond comprehension to the living.

Bridge Carson was the one who discovered his body. He wept for his old friend. He tried so hard to rid him of the branches of the Black Mercy, all to no avail. He held onto his old friend's body as he cried to the heavens.

"Sky..." Bridge uses his communicator, his face drenched in his tears, his hands slippery from his freind's blood.. "There's been a murder..."

Jack Landers, former Red Ranger, community leader, beloved husband, future father, dear friend, like a father to many of the street urchins of New Tech City. His life has been taken away from him in a most cruel fashion.

In Angel Grove, a forest of black trees and crimson red flowers and all manner of flora not of this world, there is a prison. This prison is 'home' to several dangerous criminals, amongst them homicidal maniacs, serial killers, and other kinds of inmentionable maliants. This prison is unique, in that everyone goes out with a smile here. Why? Because this forest has a special type of flower called The Black Mercy. And what it does is that it takes over your mind showing you visions of a better life while it slowly grows inside your body. Eventually, it grows so large that it bursts through you, crushing your inner organs.

'Emperor' Grumm sat in his cell, smiling to himself as sharpened his improvised bone sword. He has a plan... 

"One down...five more to go..."


	2. Chapter 2

Grumm's Black Mercy

Episode 1: A death in the family

Bridge Carson sits on a barstool, a mug of frosty beer in his hand. The alcoholic drink's coldness is felt through his gloves. Bridge sighs, lifting the cold, fizzy drink to his lips. It feels refreshing to his parched throat. He looks at his watch.

"She should be here any second now..." Bridge gulps. He starts scratching his head while tapping his foot rapidly.

"Nervous, boy?" The Xybrian bartender begins cleaning some glasses while keeping an eye on Bridge.

"I'm waiting for someone." Bridge chuckles lightly.

"Hot date? Don't tell me it's Syd." The bartender sighs. "She's turned you down time and again. You'd think by now you'd gotten a clue."

"Well...she said this time she would come." Bridge finishes his beer.

"Did she say 'maybe' or 'certainly'?" The bartender puts down the glass. He places his hands on the table and watches Bridge intently.

"She...said maybe..." Bridge looks sad for a second, but perks up inmediately. "But...you know, that's not a no!"

"In guy talk. But in girl talk, maybe is just a more polite way to say no." The bartender sighs and shakes his head.

"You never know..." Bridge looks at his watch.

"Let me guess. She should have been here by now?" The bartender sighs as he watches Bridge's expression fall. "She's not coming, son. Forget it, and forget her. Look, there are plenty of women in this city, and I can guarantee you that a good deal of them are lonely and are waiting for a good man like you to come talk to them."

"But..." Bridge picks up his ringing phone. There is a message from Syd. Upon reading it, Bridge's expression turns to one of dissapointment. "You're right. She's not coming."

"Cancelation via text? How low can a girl get?" The bartender whips his cloth on the bar table. "Forget her, Bridge, she's not worth your time. Look, see that hot blonde over there? How about I get her a drink and tell her it's from you?"

"No thanks..." Bridge wipes a small tear from his eye.

"Kid..." The bartender is at a loss for words. That was when Sky entered the bar. "The usual, Sky?"

"Sure. But today, add some ginger root." Sky sits down next to Bridge. "How you holding up, Bridge?"

Bridge does not answer. He merely looks at his empty beer glass.

"Drinking beer? You know that crap's bad for you." Sky sighs, the looks at the bar stool next to him. "Tino...a beer too, please."

The bartender, Tino, takes out a mug and, on instinct, fills it with some Medalla Dark Beer. "Here you go..."

"This one's for you, Jack." Sky places the beer in front of the stool next to him. "We miss you, buddy."

"I still can't believe he's dead." Tino shakes his head. "I know it's been a month, but I still always expect him to enter through that door, smiling like always before asking for his favorite beer."

"A fucking Black Mercy..." Sky sneers. "We've been investigating this for over a month now. No leads, no clues, nothing."

"I thought Black Mercies only grew in areas that were destroyed by Baal during the Darkest Day..." Tino seemed to be pondering something.

"I know..." Sky slams his bionic arm on the table, leaving a dent. "Sorry, send me the bill for table repairs."

"Forget it, kid." Tino hands Sky his drink, a vegetable juice with ginger root for added flavor. "Just catch the bastard that killed Jack."

"That's the idea." Sky drinks up his juice. "Bridge, we continue tomorrow. Get some rest."

Sky leaves the bar. Bridge, however, merely spends his time looking at his glass.

"Can I have another, please?"

"Kid...you have a lot of work tomorrow. I don't think you need a hangover." Tino sighs. "Kid...it's not your fault."

"My powers are useless on Black Mercy victims. I don't know why, but they are." Tears stream down Bridge's face. "I can't find the perp, I can't locate where the Black Mercy came from, I don't know why anyone killed Jack..."

"It's not your fault, kid. You're doing the best you can."

"Then how come it's not enough? How come I try, and I try and still get nothing?" Bridge's tears fall onto the table. "How come I keep on failing?"

"Kid..."

"If I had gone to his apartment sooner, would I have been able to save him?" Bridge wipes away his tears.

"I don't know." Tino sighs. "The past is the past. There is only the future."

"Why didn't I see him sooner? Black Mercies take a while to manifest..."

"Unless you're alergic to them." Tino taps his fingers on the table. "If someone is allergic to Black Mercies, they manifest more quickly."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a bartender. I've served a few medics, and they sure do talk about these things a lot." Tino picks up Bridge' glass and starts cleaning it. "It's possible that Jack was allergic too."

"I don't know..." Bridge sighs. "I need to go..."

"Kid...try and ask Sky to give you a day off, OK?" Tino takes Jack's beer. "You're looking like you're gonna get depression."

"I...I'm fine." Bridge gets up and leaves. Tino sighs and pours Jack's drink into the sink.

Bridge walked back to his apartment. He opens his door and walks in. He turns on the light, and finds his loyal parrot, Toasty, waiting for him.

"Hey Toasty." Bridge tickles his parrot a bit.

"Sydney!" Toasty squacks.

"No...she canceled...I was so sure she would come today." Bridge falls to his sofa. "I guess I should just quit."

"Emergency! SPD Emergency!" Toasty squacks while flapping her wings.

"I suck...A whole month gone, and nothing." Bridge starts crying. "Why aren't I good enough, Toasty? Why do I suck so badly?"

Toasty looks at Bridge.

"I mean, I'm a horrible Red Ranger. I can't compare to Sky or Jack, I can't catch the guy who killed Jack...and I can't get the girl I like." Bridge covers his eyes with his hand as tears fall down his cheeks. "No wonder Syd doesn't like me. I'm not good enough for her, because I'm not good enough to be the Red Ranger. I'm a waste of space."

Toasty began to gently nuzzle her owner. Bridge touches her little head in gratitude. Suddenly, he grabs his chest,

"I...don't feel too good." Bridge gets up, stumbling towards his phone. "My...chest hurts..."

Bridge falls to the floor, hacking and coughing as he reaches for his telephone. He then goes unconscious as his parrot desperately squacks. Toasty, as if on instinct, flies out the window and towards SPD Headquarters. The flight takes her an hour, but she finally makes it. She waits for the door to open, and once it does, she instinctly goes towards the Command Base where Sky was working. She lands on the Command Module.

"Toasty?" Sky picks up the parrot, who seemed quite fatigued. "Something's wrong with Bridge!"

_Bridge woke with a fright, sweating and panting. He grabs his head and looks around._

"_Where am I?" Bridge looks around the room. He turns to his side where Sydney lay asleep still. "Syd?"_

"_No honey, it's Saturday. Let me sleep, OK?" Sydney stirs on her side of the bed. Astounded, Bridge gets up and inspects the room more closely. He notices a photo. In it, he and Syd were smiling happily. It is a wedding photo..._


	3. Chapter 3

Grumm's Black Mercy

Episode 2: Yume

"_Bridge just five more minutes..." Sydney stirred in bed. Bridge keeps shaking her, however. "Bridge! OK, OK I'm up! What the hell's wrong?"_

"_How, what the hell's going on?" Bridge's eyes dart around. "Where am I?"_

"_Home." Sydney glares at Bridge. "The hell's wrong with you?"_

"_Home? But where's...what's going on here?" Bridge starts pacing around._

"_Bridge...did you have a nightmare?" Sydney sighs in exasperation. "OK, OK, I've seen this in the movies thousands of times. Bridge, you were dreaming. Whatever you thought was real, isn't. This is real."_

"_Yeah...uh...remind me, how long have we been married?" Bridge winces upon seeing Syd's glare._

"_Eight years. And don't you dare ask me that question ever again." Sydney throws her pillow at Bridge. "Now go wake up Kevin. Your son, in case you forgot."_

_Bridge's eyes widen. "Ah...sure Syd, I mean how could I ever forget my own kid, you know?"_

"_His room is down by the hall, to the right of the bathroom." Sydney sighs in exasperation. "Now, after you wake him up, go start fixing breakfast."_

"_Sure Sydney." Bridge exits the master bedroom. As he walks across the hall, he takes the time to look at the pictures on the wall. There are pictures of him and Sydney smiling together at various locations. He finally enters the bedroom Sydney had directed him to. Its walls were painted blue with several fluffy clouds painted on them. There is a toybox in the corner, and a small bed in the opposite corner. Almost on instinct, Bridge kneels down and disconects the clown face night light in the electric socket. Bridge walks towards the small bed to find his son, Kevin Carson, sleeping soundly. Bridge's eyes widen upon seeing the child, his hands tremble as he reaches for his son._

"_Wake up, son." His voice shakes as he says that word. "It's Saturday..."_

_Kevin stirs in his little bed. He is a young boy, just a bit over five. He has inherited his father's black hair and his mother's blue eyes. He opens his eyes and lets out a tiny yawn._

"_Hi daddy. What's for breaktis?" Kevin has a small problem pronouncing big words._

"_Well, I'm gonna make it today, ok? So up and at 'em!" Bridge picks up his son. He smiles at the young boy, his own flesh and blood._

"God damn it..." Dr. Henry Miles looks at Bridge's unconscious body, his hand holding a graph rather tightly. "Commander Tate, there's no doubt about it. It's a Black Mercy."

"My God...no..." Sky slams his bionic arm onto the wall, leaving a hole in it.

"Commander, I'm afraid Bridge's not going to make it out of this one at the rate he's going. The Black Mercy's got him good." Henry Miles sighs despondently. "Poor guy...Well, at the very least he's happy."

Sky grabs the doctor by the neck. "The hell do you mean by that, doc?"

Gagging, Dr. Henry Miles tries his best to escape Sky's grip. As soon as Sky lets him go, and he regains his breath, Dr Miles glares at him before proceeding. "The Black Mercy is a parasitic, empathic plant. It feeds off our positive emotions, our hopes and dreams, and our blood. It lives inside us, letting us live our deepest desires while at the same time feeding off of us. Eventually, it drains your body of blood entirely. Sometimes it leaves you as a dried up corpse. But if you're like Jack, allergic to the plant, then it will mutate, just keep growing and growing until you burst... Either way not a good way to go."

"Damn it doc..." Sky looks on with a raging fury at the doctor. "That's my best friend in there. Cure him!"

"There IS no cure!" Henry Miles throws the graph to the floor. "He's a goner Commander. I'm sorry."

"There has to be a cure..." Sky's tears begin to show up on his one good eye. "Damn it..."

That was when Z and Syd came rushing in towards the infirmary.

"Where is he Sky?" Z's eyes are filled with tears. Sky relcutantly points towards Bridge's room.

"Bridge..." Syd falls to her knees. "I'm so sorry..."

"Is there anything that we can do?" Z pleadingly looks at Sky, who just turns away.

"I'm sorry..." Henry Miles looks at the floor with sadness in his eyes. He pushes his wheelchair towards the front desk. Suddenly, he gets an idea. "Commander...there may be SOMETHING we can do...but it's still experimental."

"Out with it!" It takes all Sky's self control to keep him from stragling Dr Henry Miles again.

"There is a plant in the Black Forests called the Hell Dew. I've been experimenting with it...this plant is capable of expelling all types of toxins from the human body. There is a chance it might be able to expell the Black Mercy spores, but...I've not done any experiments with it. And even then, the success rate of the Hell Dew was never higher than 65%...as a medic, I would never approve of this type of procedure if I had any idea there would be a better alternative."

"But there is no other way. A 65% chance of survival is more than good enough for me!" Sky raises his bionic arm and acceses his communicator. "Ben! Joe! I need you two to get over to HQ!"

Syd staggers towards Bridge's unconscious body. She kneels down beside him, her eyes reflecting much sadness and regret. "I'm sorry...I wanted to go with you but dad called me, said it was an emergency...I'm so sorry..."

Syd's tears fall down on Bridge's face. Sky and Z look on, neither wanting to ruin this scene. Sky and Z leave towards SPD Earth Headquarters.

Meanwhile, above Angel Grove Forest...

"So, this is your final reward, Skeletix." An SPD officer gloats towards the captured criminal. "This is Angel Grove Forest, deadliest place in the world. Everything here WILL try to kill you. If you're lucky, a Black Mercy will get you. If you're not, well...let's say you will ENVY the dead."

The SPD officer drops Skeletix from the hover platform onto Angel Grove Forest. Skeletix, who was a skeleton warrior wearing a white cloak, was charged with murdering eighteen children in Blue Bay Harbor. This is his sentence, a stay in Angel Grove Forest. As he passes by the black leaves of the canopy, the Devil Trees began their demonic howl. Skeletix tried covering his ears to no avail. This howl has been known to drive many who've heard it insane.

"Help me...let me out of here!" Skeletix drops to his knees, clawing away at the dirt.

"In a little while you'll get used to it. And after that, you'll learn to like it." A voice suddenly called out. Suddenly, the howling ceases.

"Thank you...you!" Skeletix gets up, recognizing the source of the voice as it steps closer to him. "Emperor Grumm!"

"How nice to meet a fan." Grumm lets out a low chuckle. "Oh yes, I see it in your eyes...you're going to fall to the evils of this forest."

Skeletix steps away from Grumm. "Stay away from me!"

"I don't know who the hell you are, but if you're here, you must have been one hell of an asshole." Grumm chuckles. "Well, that's why SPD sends us here, isn't it? We're the worst of the worst, the slime beneath the slime. We are the undesirables, too dangerous to let live, too evil to be killed in the electric chair. Ha ha ha, they think it's a fantastic idea to just drop us here, let the evils of the forest finish us off. But...there's one thing they never counted on..."

Skeletix backs away from Grumm, fear evident in what passes for his eyes. He does not notice that he was backing up towards a patch of Black Grass.

"I'm invulnerable to everything here." Grumm bursts out laughing. "The Howling Trees? I love their howling. The Black Grass? I pass through it without so much as a scratch. And by the way...watch out."

Grumm laughs as Skeletix backs right into the Black Grass. Each blade of grass, over eight feet in length, stretched itself unto Skeletix, tearing him to shreds.

"And the Black Mercy? I've been here for six years, and nothing." Grumm laughs out loud. "And now, those SPD jerks are going to die, isn't that right, Nolox?"

A small eyeball with bat wings flies down towards Grumm's shoulder. Anytime he closes its eye it replaces it with a mouth full of sharp teeth. Likewise, whenever Nolox closes his mouth, his eye reappears.

Back at HQ...

"Bridge is dying. And the only way to save him is by going to Angel Grove Forest..." Sky looks over at his three remaining Rangers, Z, Ben and Joe. "You are to go to Angel Grove Forest and get one of these..."

Sky shows them a picture of the Hell Dew...


	4. Chapter 4

Grumm's Black Mercy

Episode 3: The sweetest dream

_Bridge had taken Syd and Kevin to the beach. As they watched Kevin, Bridge and Sydney had a serious conversation._

"_So what did you dream about last night?" Sydney asked as she was applying sunblock on herself._

"_It was the weirdest thing. I dreamt I was a Power Ranger." Bridge chuckled._

"_Honey you ARE a Power Ranger, remember?" Syd sighs in exasperation._

"_Yeah, I know. But I was the Red Ranger, and I was..."Bridge suddenly frowns, sadness in his eyes. "Alone..."_

"_Alone? As in there weren't any other Rangers with you?" Sydney looks at her husband._

"_No. Alone as in...I didn't have you and Kevin." Bridge watches Kevin make a sand castle._

"_Wow..." Sydney looks away at her son for a moment. "Well..."_

"_I hated how it felt. Feeling all alone in the world, feeling like no one cared..." Bridge wipes a tear from his eye. "But it's all over now. I'm back in reality, and I coudn't be happier."_

"_Bridge..." Sydney's eyes are starting to get a bit misty._

"_This is my reality, right Syd? This is where I belong." Bridge gets up. He walks towards his son. "Hey champ, how's that castle coming along?"_

"_Good, daddy." Kevin proudly shows his father the castle he worked so hard on._

"_Wow Kevin, did you build this?" Sydney walks up towards her son. "It's so big..."_

"_I made it all by myself!" Kevin stands up proudly. His face falls when his sand castle collapses, however._

"_Don't worry son, we'll build another one, ok?" Bridge helps his son gather some sand in his bucket. He sees Kevin is starting to cry. "Something wrong, son?"_

"_I made it by myself..." Kevin hugs his mother and buries his face in her chest. "It was my castle..."_

"_You can make another one sweetie." Sydney strokeshis hair, trying to calm him down. Bridge watches this, his heart soaring as he views the tender scene._

"_Son, don't give up, ok?" Bridge hands Kevin his toy shovel. "If you don't succeed at first, try and ty again, ok?"_

_Bridge watches as Kevin hesitantly picks up his shovel and pail. Kevin gathers up a little bit of sand, puts it in his pail, and then makes a towers using the sand. He beams with pride as his son continues building his sand castle._

"_Wow son, this sand castle is looking great!" Bridge picks up his son and gives him a big hug. "Look at that, my son the sand castle builder!"_

_Kevin giggles as Bridge holds him up in the air. He watches the entire beach from this view, extending his arms as if they were wings. Bridge twirls him around, making airplane sounds as he carries his son._

"_Daddy, the beach is beautiful!" Kevin gushes as he watches the waves. "I love it!"_

"_I am so glad, son!" Bridge sets his son down. "How about those waves, huh?"_

"_Daddy, where do waves come from?"_

"_Well son, do you know the Moon?" Bridge points upwards towards the sky. "The Moon is the one pulling the water, and when the water falls back down, that makes waves."_

"_But daddy, it's daytime!" Kevin points to the blue sky. "The Moon doesn't come up until night time!"_

"_Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean the Moon isn't there." Bridge chuckles. "It's kind of like with your Guardian Angel, you know?"_

"_Mommy told me all about my Angel." Kevin beams a smile. "She said, whenever I'm scared, I should pray to my Angel."_

"_That's right, son. Whenever you're scared, and mommy and daddy aren't there, pray to your Angel, and you will be fine." Bridge smiles at his son as they continue watching the waves._

"_Ice cream!" Sydney hands her husband and her son an ice cream pop. Bridge got a lemon flavored one while Kevin got a grape. Syd's was strawberry. "What a perfect day..."_

"_It is." Bridge looks at his wife's eyes with all the love in his soul for her. She looked especially beautiful like this, with little makeup and the wind in her hair. "Syd..."_

"_Yeah Bridge?"_

"_I'll tell you later, ok?" Bridge smiles at his wife. Today was a day to remember. "Look at those waves..."_

"_Daddy...will you teach me to swim?" Kevin looks up at his father._

"_When you're older, ok?" Bridge kisses his son on the head and then ruffles his hair. This causes Kevin to giggle a little._

"_Daddy, why is the sky blue?"_

"_Because the sky is absorbing the Sun's blue light." Bridge looks up at the clear blue sky._

"_Huh? But the Sun's yellow!" Kevin frowns._

"_Yes, but Light is made up of several different colors, you know?" Bridge scratches his head, unsure of how to explain to his young and confused son the science behind light._

"_Sweetie, do you know rainbows?" Sydney picks up her son. "Well, rainbows are made up of several colors, like red, blue, green and yellow. The sky, which is made up of air and water, is actually eating up the blue color from the light. Rainbows are actually made of light passing through things like water, you know?"_

"_So the air and water up there is eating up the blue...OK!" Kevin nods his head while smiling. "I get it now!"_

"_There you go!" Sydney kisses her son on the cheek, which causes him to giggle. "Such a smart boy!"_

"_Well of course he's smart, he's got two super smart parents!" Bridge chuckles. "But really Kevin, you're smart."_

"_Yay!" Kevin smiles proudly at his own intelligence._

"_Know what this merits?" Bridge smiles evily. "Tickle time!"_

_Bridge and Syd tickle Kevin, which causes him to laugh uproariously. The waves gracefully fall to the shore, the seagulls sing their song as they fly overhead, pelicans diving to the water scooping up fish as various beach goers stare at the wonderful scenery. Young lovers splash around the waves as bikini babes go around looking for hunks to stare at their toned bodies, their expensive yet flimsy swimsuits hugging them tightly. This is the kind of day a boy remembers for the rest of his life, the kind of day that helps form the dreams of your youth. The Sun is starting to set, painting the sky the most beautiful orange hue that any boy could ever see, the sunlight reflected in the ocean resembling a golden road. Kevin watched this scene, forever burning it in his memory._

"_Look at that..." Bridge watched the sunset with awe. "This is the sort of thing you'll remember forever, right son?"_

_Bridge looked at his son, who had by now fallen asleep in his arms. Bridge smiles at his son, picks him up, and carries him to the family car._

"_What a day." Sydney smiles tenderly at her family. "Bridge...can I talk to you for a second?"_

"_Sure hun, what's wrong?"_

"_About your dream..." Sydney gets in the car, puts on her seatbelt, then turns off the car radio. She looks behind at the backseat, where Kevin, already buckled up, sleeps soundly. "I've been thinking about it all afternoon."_

"_Oh..." Bridge looks frowns, keeping an eye on the road._

"_I want you to know...I love you." Sydney smiles at her husband. "This is your home, love. What you dreamt about, that was all just a dream, OK? This is your home, and Kevin and I are your family. You're not alone, love."_

"_Thanks Syd." Bridge smiles. He parks the car in the garage, picks up Kevin and carries him to his little room. He places his son in his own bed, turns on his night light, and kisses him good night._

"_Bridge? Want to go to bed now?" Sydney blushes. She takes Bridge's hand and leads him to their bedroom. "I love you, Bridge..."_

_Bridge and Sydney made love that night._

_Jack Landers walks past a black flower. He glances toward it and plucks it off the ground, crushing it in his hand._

"_Sorry buddy." Jack throws away the crushed flower. "But I need to wake you up now. Dream time's over..." _


	5. Chapter 5

Grumm's Black Mercy

Episode 4: Shades of a horrible truth

"_I had a weird dream last night." Bridge says as he drinks his orange juice. "I was fighting this guy, called himself the Power Lord..."_

"_Honey, last night YOU were the Power Lord." Sydney coos onto Bridge's ear. "But really, why were you fighting him?"_

"_It's kind of crazy, but...to save you." Bridge looks at Sydney tenderly. "It was all part of some crazy scheme or something by some dude called Chronos..."_

_Bridge and Sydney kiss each other, break off the kiss, then stare into each other's eyes._

_Jack Landers was watching this all from outside the window..._

"Ok, let's take a look." Officer Axl Skullovitch flips through the paperwork at Ranger Mountain Station, the place that manages the Angel Grove Black Forest. "Officer Delgado, first name Elizabeth... Officer Jones, first name Benjamin...and Officer Jefferson, first name Joe...OK, this seems to be in order."

Joe stood outside the Station, looking at the forest at the foot of the mountain. His palms are sweaty.

"Nervous?" Z sits down on a rock beside him.

"Uh...yes Officer Delgado." Joe fixes his glasses, the burning rays of the Sun glistening through his sweaty black skin. "I've only been a Ranger for a week, and well, this is my first big mission..."

"You can call me Z." She pats him on the back. "Don't be so nervous..."

"Officer...I mean Z? Are you nervous?" Joe gulps. "I mean, I can't imagine how you must feel, what with Officer Carson being in such a critical condition..."

"It..." Z sighs, a tear threatening to escape from her eye.

"Look. Hard to believe this used to be a city, huh?" Joe points towards the Black Forest. "Not one of those plants is natural..."

"This is where we throw the absolute lowest of the low." Z sighs. "Jack hated this place..."

"Jack?" Joe looks at Z.

"Jack Landers...practically my brother." Z wipes away some tears from her eyes. "Died from the same thing killing Bridge..."

"I didn't know..." Joe is stunned. "I'm sorry."

"We can't fail..." Z gets up.

"We won't." Ben arrives at this moment, holding a map and a small box. He holds up the map. "The Hell Dew is at the center of this forest, right near Angel Grove Lake."

Ben is over six feet tall, brown hair in a bowl cut, his blue eyes capable of piercing into one's soul. He hands the map to Z, then holds up the metal box. He opens it. "Put this wax over your ears. It will protect you from the sounds of the Death Howler Trees."

Ben hands over a tube of wax to Z and Joe. He then takes out three pills. "These pills...will protect you from Black Mercy Spores... I'm sorry Z..."

Z looks at the pills, her eyes getting misty. "Jack sure could have used these..."

"I'm sorry..." Ben swallows his pill. "I spoke to Officer Skullovitch. He explained that we need to enter the Forest morphed. Everything here WILL try to kill us..."

"Everything?" Joe trembles.

"Yes." Ben's piercing gaze could cut through steel. "Everything will try to kill us. We get in, get the dew, get the hell out. If we stay longer than necesary, we're done for."

"I can't believe this..." Z swallows her pill. "Jack was right. SPD should have burnt this place..."

Ben places a comforting hand on Z's shoulder. "Z...it's not SPD's fault...no one could have known someone would try what they did..."

"But Ben..." Z's lips start to quiver.

"Uh...I'll...be over there..." Joe walks away from the scene, his hands trembling. He kneels down beside a rock with an epitaph written on it. "Nothing I can do...I'm so sorry...Huh? '_Here lies a good friend, who lost sight of his path trying to keep the rest of us from getting lost'..._I wonder..."

Joe sighs, shaking his head. "Nothing we can do...But find the Dew..."

"You OK Z?" Ben pats Z on the back.

"Oh God...(hack!)" Z coughs out a small white glob. A close look would reveal tiny bits of the pill she had just swallowed. "Oh God...I think I might be coming down with something."

"That was one bad cough you had..." Ben sighs. "Look, maybe we should..."

"No time...we need to hurry." Z takes out her morpher. "Joe! Get over here, it's morphing time!"

SPD, Emergency! With a bright flash, Z dons her Blue Yellow Ranger suit. Ben does a few stretches in his Green Ranger suit, while Joe marvels his Yellow Ranger uniform.

Meanwhile...

"Sky..." Kat Manx walks towards Sky, who is looking at Jack's tombstone. "It's not your fault."

"Until I catch the bastard that did him in..." Sky takes out a handkerchief and dries his tears. "He didn't deserve this..."

"I know..." Kat places a hand on his shoulder. "But it's not your fault."

"However killed Jack is now trying to kill Bridge..." Sky's face reflects his rage. "I know it..."

"Sky..."

"Dr Kat...we have a Ranger killer on our midsts..." A quick flash of pain inside his chest. Suddenly, Sky's eyes widen. "Oh my God..."

Kat realizes what Sky is thinking. "No..."

In the Medical Wing...

Sydney never left Bridge's side. Though she is starting to get light headed, she stays by his side, her eyes damp with tears. The serene look on his face is the only thing keeping her from suffering a nerve attack. His life line is stable, for the moment. She does not notice her breathing has gotten slightly heavier.

"_Ok family, I'm off to work!" Bridge waves goodbye to his family as he drives off. It is a good day for driving, the sun is shining bright, not a cloud in the sky._

"_Hello Bridge." Jack had been sitting next to Bridge the whole time, but Bridge had not noticed until now._

"_Jack? You scared me man." Bridge chuckles. "I didn't know you needed a ride!"_

"_Bridge...it's time to wake up..." Jack looks Bridge right in the eye._


End file.
